رَعَت ناقَتي مِن أُمِّ أَعيَنَ رَعيَةً

رَعَت ناقَتي مِن أُمِّ أَعيَنَ رَعيَةً

يُشَلُّ بِها وَضعاً إِلى الحَقَبِ الضَفرُ

يُشَلُّ بِها وَضعاً إِلى الحَقَبِ الضَفرُ

My she-camel grazed a spell at Umm A'yan's,

My she-camel grazed in Umm Ayman, a grazing

with her braided girth drawn toward the hind-girth at a swift trot.

That makes its looseness all the way to Al-Haqab droop

يَقولونَ وَالأَمثالُ تُضرَبُ لِلأَسى

يَقولونَ وَالأَمثالُ تُضرَبُ لِلأَسى

أَما لَكَ عَن شَيءٍ فُجِعتَ بِهِ صَبرُ

أَما لَكَ عَن شَيءٍ فُجِعتَ بِهِ صَبرُ

They say—and proverbs are offered to soothe grief—

They say, and proverbs are coined for grief

Have you no patience over something whose loss has stricken you?

Don't you have patience for what grieved you?

وَما ذَرَفَت عَيناكَ إِلّا لِدِمنَةٍ

وَما ذَرَفَت عَيناكَ إِلّا لِدِمنَةٍ

بِحُزوى مَحَتها الريحُ بَعدَكَ وَالقَطرُ

بِحُزوى مَحَتها الريحُ بَعدَكَ وَالقَطرُ

Your eyes have shed tears only for a ruined campsite

Your eyes wept but for a shelter

at Huzwa, erased after you by wind and rain.

Whose traces the wind and rain erased after you

أَقامَ بِها مِن أُمِّ أَعيَنَ بَعدَها

أَقامَ بِها مِن أُمِّ أَعيَنَ بَعدَها

رَمادٌ وَأَحجارٌ بِرابِيَةٍ قَفرُ

رَمادٌ وَأَحجارٌ بِرابِيَةٍ قَفرُ

There remained of Umm A'yan, after her departure,

It left in Umm Ayman after it

ashes and stones on a barren rise.

Ashes and desolate stones in a desert expanse

وُقوفاً بِها صَحبي عَلَيَّ كَأَنَّني

وُقوفاً بِها صَحبي عَلَيَّ كَأَنَّني

بِها سَلَمٌ في كَفِّ صاحِبِها ثَأرُ

بِها سَلَمٌ في كَفِّ صاحِبِها ثَأرُ

My companions stand there over me, as though I

My friends stopped by it as if I

were a salam acacia there, with vengeance in its owner's hand.

Were in its hands a culprit they avenged

فَقُلتُ لَهُم سيروا لِما أَنتُمُ لَهُ

فَقُلتُ لَهُم سيروا لِما أَنتُمُ لَهُ

فَقَد طالَ أَن زُرنا مَنازِلَها الهَجرُ

فَقَد طالَ أَن زُرنا مَنازِلَها الهَجرُ

So I told them: Go on about your business;

So I said to them, “Go on to what you must

for long has separation lasted since we visited her dwellings.

For long has our visit to its abodes been estranged”

أَما نَحنُ راؤو أَهلِها غَيرَ هَذِهِ

أَما نَحنُ راؤو أَهلِها غَيرَ هَذِهِ

يَدَ الدَهرِ إِلّا أَن يُلِمَّ بِها سَفرُ

يَدَ الدَهرِ إِلّا أَن يُلِمَّ بِها سَفرُ

Are we to see no dwellers there but these

As for us, we are but passersby to its people other than this

for all time, unless travelers alight there?

The hand of fate except it takes us on a journey

إِذا كانَ رَأسُ المَرءِ أَشيَبَ هَكَذا

إِذا كانَ رَأسُ المَرءِ أَشيَبَ هَكَذا

وَلَم يَنهَ عَن جَهلٍ فَلَيسَ لَهُ عُذرُ

وَلَم يَنهَ عَن جَهلٍ فَلَيسَ لَهُ عُذرُ

If a man's head is gray like this,

When a man's head whitens thus

and does not restrain him from folly, he has no excuse.

And he desists not from ignorance, he has no excuse

وَمَغبوقَةٍ دونَ العِيالِ كَأَنَّها

وَمَغبوقَةٍ دونَ العِيالِ كَأَنَّها

جَرادٌ إِذا أَجلى مَعَ الفَزَعِ الفَجرُ

جَرادٌ إِذا أَجلى مَعَ الفَزَعِ الفَجرُ

And many mares, given evening milk before the household, like

Abandoned below the houses like locusts

locusts when dawn shines forth amid alarm:

When dawn breaks along with panic, they flee

عَوابِسَ ما تَنفَكُّ تَحتَ بُطونِها

عَوابِسَ ما تَنفَكُّ تَحتَ بُطونِها

سَرابيلُ أَبطالٍ بَنائِقُها حُمرُ

سَرابيلُ أَبطالٍ بَنائِقُها حُمرُ

grim-faced mares, beneath whose bellies always lie

Glowering, never ceasing, under their bellies

heroes' tunics, their gussets red.

Are the robes of heroes, their banners crimson

تَرَكنَ اِبنَ ذي الجِدَّينِ يَنشِجُ مُسنِداً

تَرَكنَ اِبنَ ذي الجِدَّينِ يَنشِجُ مُسنِداً

وَلَيسَ لَهُ إِلّا أَلاءَتَهُ قَبرُ

وَلَيسَ لَهُ إِلّا أَلاءَتَهُ قَبرُ

They left Ibn Dhi al-Jiddayn sobbing, leaning back,

They left the son of he of the two mantles wailing, leaning

with no grave for him but his ala'a tree.

With none but his grave-niche to console him

وَهُنَّ بِشِرحافٍ تَدارَكنَ دالِقاً

وَهُنَّ بِشِرحافٍ تَدارَكنَ دالِقاً

عُمارَةَ عَبسٍ بَعدَما جَنَحَ العَصرُ

عُمارَةَ عَبسٍ بَعدَما جَنَحَ العَصرُ

And at Shirhaf they overtook Daliq—

And they in loose dresses came to the aid of

Umara of Abs—after afternoon had begun to wane.

The Edifice of Frowning after the twilight withdrew

وَهُنَّ عَلى خَدَّي شُتَيرِ بنِ خالِدٍ

وَهُنَّ عَلى خَدَّي شُتَيرِ بنِ خالِدٍ

أُثيرَ عَجاجٌ مِن سَنابِكِها كُدرُ

أُثيرَ عَجاجٌ مِن سَنابِكِها كُدرُ

And they were over the cheeks of Shutayr ibn Khalid,

And they are on the cheeks of Shutyair son of Khalid

as murky dust was raised from their hooves.

Pure calamity from its windows poured out

وَيَوماً عَلى اِبنِ الجَونِ جالَت جِيادُهُم

وَيَوماً عَلى اِبنِ الجَونِ جالَت جِيادُهُم

كَما جالَ في الأَيدي المُجَرَّمَةُ السُمرُ

كَما جالَ في الأَيدي المُجَرَّمَةُ السُمرُ

And one day their noble steeds wheeled against Ibn al-Jawn,

And one day their steeds trampled over Ibn al-Jawn

as trimmed brown spears wheeled in the hands.

As the branded palms would trample the snakes